Does the mundane world feel overwhelming at times?
Here is a prayer to help you reconnect with the spiritual reality that the Gods support you every day and every minute.
I am loved in this moment Prayer
Lord and Lady,
Give me the experience to know
That I am loved in this moment.
To know that I am cherished and
Held dear to You.
Let me know I am cradled in Your hearts,
And release me from fear.
Although the mundane world tears at my sense of worthiness,
Keep me close in Your love.
Guide me to always remember Your
Embracing love for me.
So Mote It Be
“What’s most important to you as a witch?” I asked my friend, Jessica.
“To connect with the Gods,” she replied.
“You look concerned,” I said.
“I’m just not doing it. I’m not showing up for ritual,” she said, frowning.
This began an important conversation.
I’ll share three insights here:
The distractions and obligations of everyday life can strangle your spiritual practice.
Fear can exacerbate the situation. That is, many of us are buried in fear-inducing problems with the job, the kids and more. We live in a chaotic world. Not knowing what to do can stifle or even completely stall your spiritual practice. So many of us say, “I just can’t find the time.”
When you pause, you can realize that even just five minutes of meditation can calm you down and clear your thinking. That’s how a spiritual practice can be a lifesaver in the mundane and chaotic world.
Gathering with your Coven will give you a safe space for ritual.
When I am with my coven, I feel deeply supported. We support each other and raise each other up. We are a strong group. Being in a coven is having a chosen family.
This family can encourage your spiritual growth. This can be especially good if you don’t have a supportive family at home. If you gather with your coven, someplace outside your own home, you can find it to be an oasis from your mundane surroundings.
Pick your morning or evening as your sacred time.
I had a conversation with a friend who is a time management expert who authored three books on the topic. He noticed that time management is not really about lists, it’s about making great choices.
Have you noticed that your only “free time” is in the morning or at night before you go to sleep? You may want to choose one of those times as a designated sacred time. Mornings may work for some better than others because one can be fresh from the night’s rest.
However, if you are a night owl, you may prefer evenings.
I find that evenings seem to be the time I can spare. It may be better for me in the morning, but, at this time, I find that doing a brief meditation session (with my husband) before bedtime helps us both.
Don’t wait to have only an “ideal time.” Three minutes in your parked and locked car (someplace safe), may be helpful. You could recharge before going into your home for “family time.”
Remember, time management is about making great choices.
Choose to connect with the God and Goddess. Even a daily 5-minute meditation practice may truly brighten your life.
My husband looked so anxious. He was helping me finish my new online course. I felt unsettled, too. Why? At any moment, PG&E (in California) could shut down the power in my city.
Sure, they were not going to interrupt service to San Francisco, but the small town I live in was at risk.
The first day, they said that they would shut down power to many locations at 12 midnight. Then 12 noon on the next day, then 8 pm.
I had some thoughts about hope–and about how hope is connected with feeling that you don’t have any control.
Then I realized that the control we have is not over future events.
I had no control related to what the PG&E company might do. They might shut down the power right in the middle of my uploading my material to the online course website. That could wreck my hard drive.
My control was where I direct my focus … in this present moment.
Here is a prayer:
Gracious Goddess Hear my prayer Give me hope And not despair. Guide me on my true path’s course Being gentle with no force. Gracious Goddess Hear my prayer. Give me your guidance With all Your care.
Have you found that feeling tired—or having no extra time—has kept you from doing ritual?
We, Wiccans, know about holding an Esbat ritual during the full moon each month.
We also have the Sabbats that occur at specific times. They follow the Wheel of the Year.
Here’s a real solution. Connect your moments of worship of the God and Goddess with something you do as a natural part of the day.
For example, I have a friend who does daily exercises. Just before he begins his back-stretching exercises, he says, “Thank you, God and Goddess.” It just takes a moment. He tells me that it blesses his life.
You can use a ritual of massaging your feet with oil while you say a prayer of thanks—before you go to sleep for the night.
Here is a prayer you can use just before you brush your teeth in the morning.
Prayer of “Thank You for This Day”
Bless me, Goddess, this day Guide me on my way May I stay on the path And grow in the Craft May I express my best ‘Til night when I rest. Thank you, Goddess. So Mote It Be.
“Take a new job? Start my own business? I don’t know what to do,” my friend, Alicia, said.
My first thought was about how people often think that a choice is “binary” – this or that – yes or no.
We had a good conversation that stayed with me.
Here are some insights when you face choices involving risk:
1.Consult an Elder
When taking a risk, consider seeking the counsel of an elder.
In many cases, if you talk with an appropriate elder, you’ll find someone who has walked the path before you.
(I will make an important distinction here: If you want to do a particular thing in the mundane world, choose an elder who has personally done such tasks.)
An appropriate elder has seen the road and the dangers ahead, and they can guide you on the correct path.
Witches honor the sage counsel of our elders. We see them as representing the Crone aspect of the Goddess. The Crone has wisdom and can help on the path before us.
2.Consult the Tarot or another Divination Tool
If you have a big choice with a significant risk attached, it is good to consult your divination tool. I have consulted my Tarot cards when I needed guidance on the path for my own choices.
3.Consult the Gods
You can ask the Gods for help in choosing to take the risk. Meditation is a good way to invite a conversation with your chosen Deity.
I ask the Goddess for help often in meditation and in prayer.
You can ask: “If it’s best for me to choose ‘A’, let me see a _____.”
You can suggest a timetable like: “If the answer is ‘A,’ may I see three blue cars this afternoon.”
Here is a prayer for asking for the Gods’ guidance:
“I have no choice about this,” my friend, Steve, said.
I immediately thought, Is that true? Does he have no choices?
Maybe you’ve been in a similar situation when you wanted to offer some ideas to a friend, but you could feel it … the friend just wanted to vent. They were not open to hearing new or different ideas.
The good news is that we can turn to the Gods when we, personally, feel confused or feel that we have no choices.
Here are three helpful insights:
Invite the Gods to reveal your hidden choices.
Say a prayer and ask the Gods, “Please reveal to me some positive choices I have that seem hidden to me now.”
You can also use a divination tool like a pendulum or Tarot Cards. Ask the Gods to guide you while using the tool.
How to Use a Pendulum
You’ll use a chain with a stone attached at the end. Hold the end of the chain and have the stone (crystal, precious metals, etc.) dangle over a sheet of paper with your two choices inscribed.
Loop the chain over your middle finger. Hold still. Declare that if the appropriate choice is “A,” then the stone will rock vertically (flowing toward your abdomen and away). Also, declare if the correct choice is “B,” then the stone will rock horizontally. Ask the Gods to show you the correct answer. Hold still and see what answer you get.
Invite the Gods to strengthen you when it is a tough but valuable choice.
The Gods care about you. They know of the path you need to tread. It may not be the path that is easy, and it may not be the path that you preferred.
However, it’s the path that calls you—if you can hear it. Ask the Gods to strengthen you and to remove distractions so you can hear the call of the path aligned with your destiny.
It’s important to walk your Destiny Path for your own personal growth. We have lessons here during this incarnation.
Invite the Gods to walk with you.
Invite the Gods to support you and walk with you on your True Path. You can do this through prayer, ritual, or simply by talking (in your mind) to the Gods. Consider taking a walk in nature and enjoying such an internal conversation with the Gods. Ask what you need to learn on this journey. Ask Them to clarify your answer. Additionally, you can ask the Gods to move any obstacle out of your way.
“I’ve heard of sacred oils for ritual use,” my friend, Mia, said. “How do they help?”
“You can anoint yourself as a blessing. You can anoint a magickal tool to cleanse it,” I began.
Knowing how to make sacred oils for ritual use is cost-effective, and it’s being truly witchy!
I prefer to harvest my herbs when I have the chance. But that may not always be practical.
When you look carefully, you can find reputable online sources and brick and mortar stores where you can find appropriate herbs.
Warning: Do not use poisonous herbs!
You can use sacred oils for anointing yourself and others for different reasons. Below is the Herb Empowerment Chant to charge your herbs.
Herb Empowerment Chant
Little bundle of [herb you are using] of mine,
I empower you now, for it is time.
I call upon the powers of the Moon and Sun,
I call upon the powers of the Earth and Sky.
I call upon the four elements, Earth, Air, Fire, Water,
Give this [herb you are using] all Your power.
I call upon the powers of the rivers and the seas,
Listen to my hopeful pleas.
May this [herb you are using] bring me peace and tranquility,
And protect me from all negativity.
Lovely Lady of the Moon,
Give me this, my greatest boon.
Now that your dried herbs are charged, use the following directions to complete your sacred oil.
How to Make a Sacred Oil
What you will need:
2 clean, dark jars (the dark tint keeps the sun out)
Funnel for liquids
Cheesecloth
Enough dried herbs to fill the jar two-thirds full
Bottle of Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil, enough to fill one of the dark jars
On a full moon, use your herb of choice.
Warning: Do not use poisonous herbs!
Cleanse and consecrate your jars, cheesecloth, funnel, and oil.
Ask the Gods to enrich these items with their positive energy.
Fill one of the jars two-thirds full of the herbs, and then fill the jar the rest of the way with the oil. Jiggle the jar to get all the air out from in between the herbs, where pockets of air can stick. Once the jar is full, shake it until the contents are well-mixed.
Leave the jar in a dark, cool place.
Shake the jar each day, and make sure to keep all the herbs submerged to avoid mold. Open the jar and smell the oil to make sure it isn’t going rancid. Repeat this process for a full month until the next full moon.
Once your oil has been fully infused with the herbs, you will use cheesecloth to strain the mixture.
Place the funnel into the opening of the second jar. Place the cheesecloth over the funnel and pour your mixture into the second jar—straining the mixture with the cheesecloth. Make sure you squeeze the herbs in the cheesecloth to get all the mixture out of them.
Place a label on the mixture jar to identify it—and the date when you strained the mixture.
“Do Wiccans get help from the ‘Dark Mother’?” one of my readers asked.
Wiccans know that working with the Dark Mother is helpful when you need to rid yourself of negative energy, illness, and ex-partners.
It is vital to notice that the Dark Mother helps one do something we can call “positive deconstruction.”
Deconstruction can be natural. For example, a tree falls in the woods. It is natural and good for the tree to decompose. Then there will be nutrients for other things to grow.
Here’s another example. A Wiccan can appeal to the Dark Mother by doing a spell in the waning moon (light to dark) to get rid of an illness. You are using magick to get rid of that illness.
As you can imagine, the Dark Mother is the opposite side of the fertile and growing aspect of the Goddess.
A Prayer
Dark Mother, Help me get rid of _____. I realize it is natural and good To let some things decompose So I may embrace my new chapter of life.
“I can’t take any more of this,” Todd, a workshop participant, said.
“Would you tell me more?” I asked.
“I feel overwhelmed,” he replied.
I felt great empathy for his situation. This began a valuable conversation.
So, what do you do when your back is against the wall?
Figure out how to lessen the overload
Draw a vertical line down the middle of a sheet of paper. On the left side, list the top three situations that are impinging on you. Directly across from each stressful situation, note two things you might do that could relieve some of your pain. Here’s a helpful angle about this process: Somewhere, somehow, there’s a lesson in all this. Consider writing in a journal about your thoughts and feelings that arise.
Ask the Gods for Guidance
Meditation is the key here. During your meditation session, breathe in deeply. Ask the God and Goddess, “Please guide me for my good and the good of all involved.” You can also ask, “Is there a lesson for me to learn here?”
Do a ritual to help alleviate the pain
Ritual is a great process for releasing negative energy—to flush it away.
Also, during a ritual you can create and enhance positive energy.
“No, I don’t think I’m strong enough to move on from this hell I’m in,” my friend, Amy, said.
“If you realize that Goddess loves you, and you do the things so you can feel Her support—you can do the hard things in life,” I replied.
Here I’ll share three points.
You are not alone.
The God and Goddess are always with you. You can call on Them to help you through the tough times in your life.
“Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.” – Doreen Valiente, speaking in the voice of the Goddess – in The Charge of the Goddess
Sometimes, it feels like everything in the world is trying to stop you from your desired goal. At those moments, look beyond the mundane world. Call on the Gods for Their support. Ask the Goddess, in Her nurturing aspect, to help you and guide you on your path.
Goddess is the Loving Form of Deity.
“Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold I am the Mother of All Living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.” – Doreen Valiente, speaking in the voice of the Goddess – in The Charge of the Goddess
The Goddess has explained that she doesn’t demand that you sacrifice your desires or dreams for Her. She wants you to be happy. The Gods don’t want us to suffer.
Sometimes, we get the answer of Light, having gone through a time of darkness.
“The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess,
Of this did our ancestors teach.” – Doreen Valiente – in The Witches Creed
If we don’t have the hard times or dark times in our lives, we can’t fully appreciate the light parts. In one discussion, one of my friends emphasized that an important part of happiness can be feeling relief after a dark time.
When we see the good times stand out from the dark, we truly appreciate the good times when they arrive.
The dark times can be a powerful form of teacher. Dark times teach us certain lessons we need to learn. When the Light finally arrives, the Light illuminates our progress through those lessons.
We need both times of Light and dark to grow into our full potential and full destiny.
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